KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s race to fully withdraw the party from its political alliance with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has put its leaders in a dilemma, as it will not bode well for the party or nation, said analysts.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political observer Azmi Hassan said Umno faces a “big problem” if Zahid proceeds with the plan, calling the move a “strategic blunder” if executed in the near future.
“The objective of (Umno in) pulling out from PN is to destabilise the government in hopes that an election or a change of prime minister can be triggered,” he told The Vibes when contacted.
“But, again, the final objective cannot be achieved today. If it pulls out today, while the nation is still facing the pandemic, there is no way for an election to be held.”
Furthermore, he said there is currently no candidate in Umno or Pakatan Harapan (PH) who can garner the majority support of MPs, thus allowing a new prime minister to establish a more stable government.
There will be no issue within the party itself when the time comes for it to make a decision, as most Umno MPs will abide by the president’s call to pull support for PN, Azmi said, referring to the members’ resolution during the Umno General Assembly 2020 in March.
“The question of timing (of the withdrawal) is critical here. (It will) most probably (take place) when the pandemic is under control or there is one candidate that Umno or PH can accept; then that is the right time to pull out from the government.”
On Saturday, a discreet meeting involving a large number of Umno MPs was held at a mansion on Jalan Bellamy.
On Monday, Supreme Council members gathered for a meeting at Menara Dato Onn. The meet was then moved to Wisma Perwira – a property owned by the military.
According to a report by Astro Awani, Zahid had held one-on-one meetings with Supreme Council members last week to obtain signatures supporting the party’s decision to withdraw from the PN administration as soon as possible.
At the meeting on Monday night, it is understood that the party president met with 37 Umno MPs to persuade them to leave the ruling coalition, but to no avail.
The leaders instead urged Zahid to not make a rash decision to leave PN, according to a source privy to the matter.
Azmi said this recent push to finalise the separation has Umno parliamentarians, especially those in cabinet, facing a “big issue” in supporting the party president.
I believe that when the time is right, the majority of Umno members will stop supporting the PN government, but that time is not now. I think that is the dilemma that they are facing.”
Universiti Utara Malaysia academic Prof Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani is also of the opinion that an immediate withdrawal will mark a collapse of the PN government, but noted that the people are in “no mood” for an election during the pandemic.
“I think Umno will find a suitable time to make a decision that can be acceptable to not only Umno members, but also the public. Perhaps it is about timing.”
However, Azizuddin said he is unsure whether the move will be a blunder for Umno.
“I believe that what Umno is doing right now is because the leadership listens to its grassroots. The reason behind the withdrawal is that Umno wants dominance.
“And by staying with PN, Umno will never be dominant and will have to sacrifice many things, especially seats, areas, or even states to partners in PN.
“Umno believes that it is still strong compared with other parties. I understand the rationale behind it.” – The Vibes, July 7, 2021
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